CRICKET

Punjab Kings sign Sam Curran for record IPL fee - how much did they pay?

In Friday’s Indian Premier League auction in Kochi, Punjab Kings paid a record amount to sign England all-rounder Curran ahead of the 2023 season.

JASON CAIRNDUFF

William Allen

British journalist and translator who joined Diario AS in 2013. Focuses on soccer – chiefly the Premier League, LaLiga, the Champions League, the Liga MX and MLS. On occasion, also covers American sports, general news and entertainment. Fascinated by the language of sport – particularly the under-appreciated art of translating cliché-speak.

Update: Dec 23rd, 2022 06:12 EST

Sam Curran has become the most expensive player in Indian Premier League (IPL) history, after Punjab Kings bought the England all-rounder for ₹18.5 crore* - about $2.2 million - ahead of the 2023 season.

Curran fee smashes IPL record

The previous highest fee paid by an IPL team was the ₹16.25 crore forked out by Rajasthan Royals to sign South Africa’s Chris Morris in 2021.

Held in Kochi, Friday’s 2023 IPL auction saw a total of six franchises bid for Curran, 24, who was England’s top-scoring batsman in the team’s 3-0 Test series win over Pakistan this month.

Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants were all outbid by the Punjab Kings.

High Rated Gabru! 🦁#IPL2023 #SaddaPunjab #PunjabKings #TATAIPLAuction #SamCurran pic.twitter.com/LMbBxhF7Fo
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) December 23, 2022

Green fee also beats Morris mark

Curran wasn’t the only player who broke Morris’ record on Friday, as Australia’s Cameron Green was bought by Mumbai Indians for ₹17.50 crore ($2.1m).

Among the 2023 auction’s other notable purchases, England Test captain Ben Stokes joined Chennai Super Kings for ₹16.25 crore ($2m).